To launch the Sounding the Collection sample pack from Powerhouse and Ableton, SOLLYY, Salamanda and Jonnine were commissioned to demonstrate how these sounds can be reimagined into music.

SOLLYY is an upcoming artist, producer and DJ based in Western Sydney. Having worked with some of Australia and New Zealand's most exciting acts such as Onefour, 1300 and Pania, and through his DJ sets, Sollyy has created an audience of people who aren't just fans, but a community.

‘I was really drawn to the steam engine sample as a metaphor for how I perceive myself to continuously pursue my career. It inspired me to build the song around this motif of a steam engine constantly whirring. It's a really driving sound. That's all I was thinking about when I was making that song – what really drives me to keep going in spite of all these obstacles.’ – SOLLYY

Commissioned by the Powerhouse, SOLLYY produced Steam Engine Blues using samples from Sounding the Collection. Released in collaboration with Ableton, the sample pack features over 100 recordings of objects from the Powerhouse museum's collection. SOLLYY used:

Philharmonic Tuning Fork – Object No. H5150–2
Speaking Picture Book – Object No. H7407
Small Steam Engine Used At A Gold Mine – Object No. B2264
'Atari Cx2600 Vcs' Electronic Toy – Object No. 2003/119/1
Pedestrian Crossing Button – Object No. 87/234-1
Automaton Birdcage Mechanical – Object No. A4208;
Charkha (Spinning Wheel), India (Mono) – Object No. 2002/47/1

https://powerhouse.com.au/stories/steam-engine-blues-ableton

Written and produced by SOLLYY
Mastered by Brendan Zacharias